A MASSIVE computer project to link 30,000 GPs to nearly 300 hospitals could end up #14billion over budget and two years late, it was claimed yesterday.

The original price tag for the plan, due to go online in 2012, was #6.2billion.

It is now #12.4billion but is predicted to rise to #20billion.

The system will handle an online "choose and book" appointments system, a centralised electronic medical database for 50 million patients, 325 million electronic prescriptions a year and fast network links between NHS organisations.

Yesterday Health Secretarry Patricia Hewitt was urged to set up an independent inquiry after the National Audit Office's latest estimates.

The Government has been hit by regular crises over major IT projects which are notorious for running over budget. The NAO also warned that NHS staff were feeling alienated from the project and confused about how it would affect them.

Unison union boss Dave Prentis said: "At a time when our members are facing job cuts they will be shocked by the spiralling costs of the new scheme.

"The Government must keep a tight rein on costs or face widespread anger."

Yesterday Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted the project was on budget. But last month Health Minister Lord Warner said he expected the final bill to be around #20billion over 10 years.

He said he arrived at the figure by adding the #6.2billion for the central contracts to the #1 billion to #1.2billion spent normally each year on IT in the NHS over the 10-year lifespan of the programme.

He then rounded it up to #20 billion to take into account extra services that may be added into the IT system as it was implemented.

Chris Shapcott, from the National Audit Office, said Lord Warner's #20billion figure was a "reasonable estimate".

Tory MP Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said: "Many staff are alarmed and dispirited by having the new systems imposed by diktat from above."